A blog from a science nut, computer geek, sometimes philosopher, and a human. Based out of Denver, with a love of Antarctica, I seem to wander the world so who knows where I'll be in 6 months.

Nuclear Deterence

by wonderfullyrich on December 12, 2003

This is a posting I put on WebCT for a Polticial Science 131 class on Novemeber 7th 2003. It relates to an article published in the 2002 edition of Global Issues (GI) number 21 titled “Nuclear Nightmares” by Bill Keller. (see my thoughts page for a link)

GI 21 points out an interesting fact about nukes and terrorism, i.e. it takes only one to be as deadly or more deadly then September 11th 2001.

Given this it should be obvious that we should be preventing these attack not by brute physical security, but rather by creating sense of global social stability (i.e. make people not want/need to attack us) This goes hand and had with the notion that all attacks must be absorbed go unretailated. If we are a strong country, then we shouldn’t need to show it. Is a bully really strong, or is he just scared?

I realize that many of you are big into revenge and retribution, but I’m not sure if you realize that historically (even socially) revenge and retribution causes more violence rather then stopping the violence. You might believe that an unretaliated attack is wasteful, but how many unarmed people would terrorist kill before they looked the jester? How about if it’s an unreprised killing. Doesn’t an unreprised killing that shows a lack of terror make terrorism ineffective? If we really believe in spreading democracy, should we not be willing to die for it? We think we should be proud of troops carrying an M249 able to defend himself with force, why not be proud of a person who’s unarmed and able to defend himself with words, faith and values?

Does not the bible state that you should do unto others as you would have done to you? Should we not help others as we see others help us? September 11th showed how generous the people of US can be. Why does this not show for other countries who need it just as bad when a mudslide happens, or when an earthquake appears. Would you remember and look pass minor wrongs of a neighbor who has always rescued your dog when your not home, or has lovingly watch your children while you had to run out, or who helped you paint the garage?

Further many of you might say that social security for other countries isn’t possible. I’d like to know why you think this. Did we not help rebuild Germany (or that of which we controlled) as well as Japan into allies rather then terrorist harboring enemies? You say it was a different situation. Have we really done anything more then a superficial job of trying? Dropping yellow food packets in Afganistan doesn’t give them the ability to be self-sustaining nor the ability become an economic trading partner that could equal Netherland’s trade surplus. Give a man a fish verse teaching a man to fish.

How can we encourage people to like us rather then hate us? Well first and for most is by helping people rather then blowing them up. The US government has already started this strategy by increasing the amount of Foreign aid going out. What if we increased it to even a 1/5 of our military budget. How many roads, houses, and farms could we build? Send the corp of engineers into another country and help them build the infrastructure they want and need.

We also need to be consistent on our policy of democracy. The US has a bad reputation for saying we are for democracy, but supporting non-democracies. We put the shaw into power, they didn’t like him and now we have bad blood between us making them more likely to retailate. If we had supported a democracy and help them build harbors, farms, or etc, would there be bad blood? How about Nicaragua?

Then maybe we need to worry about ourselves for a while. National security starts with the nation itself. If people feel secure, meaning they have a job, meaning they have a sense of community, meaning they don’t feel as if they are going to get shot going to walmart, meaning that walmart pays a living wage.

How about we also realize that we are not one nation under god as much as we are one nation on the world and we are all human. God might help, but apparently Allah wants us to stop fooling with Israel.

Can we really afford to watch violence escalate into a dirty bomb in Disneyland or a conex nuke in LA?

My point here is to provoke you into questioning the values that we all have been taught. If you disagree, then post it, but try and be articulate. Don’t flame me, drowned me in facts, logic, and reason. Give me things I cannot refute and from my own logic and turn it on it’s head.